The best VOIP around

This is my review of the Ooma VOIP system, sold in the US and which has been regarded as number one by many people across the nation according to Ooma itself and they have sources to prove it, if you don’t believe me head to Ooma.com right now and check it out by yourself.

What’s great about it: Quality, Design, Features, Sound, among many other things I will explain as you read on.

What’s not so great: No caller ID with name on the free version of the service. (for some other not so great and minor annoyances with Ooma check the items mark in red in the rest of this article)

I have been using Ooma for almost two years now and I wonder why I didn’t get this sooner, the Ooma Telo is a top of the line product, it allows you to have free phone service and make free calls in the US even if you take the device overseas, you just pay a small tax monthly fee (Required by the government not Ooma) in my case I pay just $ 3.71 a month, that’s less than four bucks a month in taxes for the service! this fee varies depending on the area you live.

The free version of the service (where you pay only the monthly taxes required by the government) includes the following standard features:

Want to keep your phone number? Just pay a one-time fee of $39.99, or enjoy free number porting when you purchase an annual subscription to Ooma Premier. Check if your number can be ported.

911 Service, when you dial 911, emergency personnel will automatically have your registered address. (You should always keep in mind though that if your internet goes down your phone service as well as your 911 service will also be gone bye bye)

Low-cost international Calling, Make international calls starting at 1.4 cents per minute. Choose our international calling plan and pay less than a penny a minute.

Free trial of Ooma Premier, Every Ooma system comes with a free 60-day trial of Ooma Premier. Ooma Premier is $9.99/month. Sign-up for a year and we’ll transfer your phone number for free ($39.99 value), or choose a free accessory.

Caller-ID and call-waiting, Enjoy the convenience of caller-ID and call-waiting— at no extra charge. (NO “Caller-ID With Name” though in the free service sadly, just plain Caller-ID which means you ONLY get to see the number of the person or entity calling )

DECT 6.0 Support, Get superb sound quality, security and range for the Ooma HD2 Handset and Ooma Linx without interfering with your Wi-Fi network or other home electronics.

Free Ooma-to-Ooma calling, Call another Ooma customer anywhere in the world for free.

Ooma Wireless Adapter, Plug in the Ooma Wireless Adapter ($49.99) and unplug your Ooma Telo. Then place it anywhere in range of your wireless network.

Now if you want all the bells and whistles then you need to get their Premium service that’s around $9.99 a month, still A LOT less money than what you would be paying to your local phone company for A LOT less features.

Premium features are something you could live without, but in my case I don’t mind paying a monthly fee to obtain them because in my opinion these 21 more reasons are well worthy the price, these features include the following added extra goodies:

Free calling to Canada

Got family and friends in Canada? Now you can talk to your heart’s content. As a Premier subscriber, calls to Canada are free (excluding the 867 calling area)

Three-way conferencing

Whether you’re doing business or chatting with friends, three-way conference calling has never been easier.

Caller Name

See the name of callers, even if they’re not in your address book.

Do not disturb

Get some peace and quiet whenever you want simply by pressing the envelope icon for two seconds. All of your calls will roll into voicemail without ringing.

Community blacklist

Automatically block annoying telemarketers and solicitors by tapping into our nationwide database of thousands of known spammers.

Call forwarding

Forward your calls to any number – even your cell phone – so you never miss a call.

Free Mobile Minutes

Ooma Premier customers using the Ooma Mobile iPhone app receive 250 minutes of U.S. calling for free every month.

Voicemail-to-email forwarding (audio)

Enjoy the ultimate convenience of having your voicemail messages forwarded to your email as an audio file. Now you can listen to messages anywhere you can check email.

Voicemail-to-Text ($4.99/mth)

Read your voicemail instead of listening to it. Get your messages wherever there’s email access – on a mobile phone, portable device or computer. Get unlimited Voicemail-to-Text service starting at just $4.99 per month.

Private Voicemail

With Ooma Premier, make any Ooma device a private extension with a password-protected voicemail account. You can also set up personal greetings, customize privacy settings, and control your voicemail notification or forwarding.

Google Voice Extensions

Experience Google Voice on your Ooma system. We’ve simplified and enhanced the experience, so now you can access Google Voice’s Voicemail, Call Presentation, Listen In, and Caller-ID features–all with the press of a button.

Instant Second Line™

Two lines are better than one. Make or receive a second call without missing a beat.

Backup Number

If your Internet goes down, calls are forwarded to another phone number of your choosing.

Voicemail monitoring

If you don’t recognize the caller-ID, listen as they leave a message and pick up the phone at any time to speak with the caller.

Personal blacklist

Stop unwanted callers by blocking numbers or sending them directly to voicemail.

Anonymous call blocking

Make it so callers have to show their caller-ID in order to reach you, so that you always know who’s calling. You can block anonymous calls completely or send them straight to voicemail.

Multi-Ring

Ensure you never miss a call by configuring your Ooma system to simultaneously ring your mobile phone and home phone.

Voicemail alerts

Keep up to date with new message notifications that can be sent to any email address or SMS-capable mobile phone.

Send to voicemail

Transfer a call to voicemail by pressing the “Send to Voicemail” button at any time.

Private Device

Set aside one or more of your phones as a dedicated line that will only ring when a particular phone number is dialed. Give anyone in the house their own telephone, set up a dedicated fax line, or separate your home phone and work phone.

Personal Number

With Ooma Premier, choose a second number anywhere in the US. Decide whether you want your number to ring and leave voicemail on all phones or just your personal Ooma device. You can choose up to nine numbers (additional monthly fee applies)

Ooma works with any corded or cordless phone; easy installation and no computer is required, With Ooma Premier, you’ll have access to several first-class voicemail options. You’ll be able to enjoy the ultimate convenience of having your voicemails forwarded to your e-mail address, allowing you to check your phone messages while at work.

Also when you sign up you have the option to pick a secondary phone number, you are free to chose what area code you want for your phone, let’s say you have friends or family in another stay who can’t afford long distance, then you pick a number from their area and presto they can call you at that local number for them.

Ooma also has Google Voice integration, meaning you may send and receive calls using your Google Voice number and Caller ID, even retrieve your Google Voice Mail from the Telo main unit or the Telo handset, the integration works like a charm.

Ooma has all the features you could ever dream of having from your phone service and then some, the Telo device has a sleek design loaded features, I simply love it all.